COWARD CONFIRMED WITH KTS FOR THIRD SUCCESSIVE YEAR
Jamie Coward and the KTS Racing powered by Steadplan team have confirmed they will continue their highly-successful partnership for a third successive year, contesting every class at the Isle of Man TT Races once again.
Coward will continue to campaign Honda machinery in the RST Superbike, RL360 Superstock, and Milwaukee Senior TT Races and the Kawasaki Z650 in the first Metzeler Supertwin and second Entire Cover insurance Supertwin Races, and will be looking to challenge for the podium positions in each race.
However, after several seasons on the Yamaha YZF-R6 in the Supersport class, Coward will switch to a Triumph Speed Triple 765 RS for the Monster Energy Supersport encounters. Having just missed out on a rostrum finish twelve months ago, he’ll be hoping a change in manufacturers will help bridge the gap to the rostrum.
Coward and the team – owned and run by Scottish businessman Kevin Watret – have been revelations over the last two years, chalking up a string of top-6 finishes and bettering many of the larger-scale teams in the TT paddock.
Last year saw the 33-year old Yorkshireman take his second podium finish with third in the opening Supertwins Race, which followed on from his second place in the 2019 race. In addition, he took excellent fourth and fifth in the two Supersport Races, setting a new personal best lap in the latter at 127.891mph.
Coward also finished fifth in the Superbike Race and took a brace of sixth-place finishes in the two Superstock Races, setting personal best laps in each class. His fastest lap of 132.096mph currently makes him the 12th fastest rider in TT history.
Jamie Coward: “The last two years have obviously been great for me and the team but we’re hoping to make another step forward on all bikes in 2024 and the reason for switching to the Triumph is to make sure we move with the times.”
“The Supersport class is seeing a new generation now and testing has gone well with the Triumph. It suits my style and with the grunt and torque it has, it’ll make the transition to the bigger bikes that little bit easier.”
“We’ll continue with the Honda Superstock machine and Kawasaki Supertwin and I’m hoping to improve my lap times and speeds in all classes. I’ll concentrate on myself which will enable me to go faster again and climb further up the leaderboard.”
“Last year was my first with the Honda and we’ve got a good base setting now, so the ambition must be finishing on the podium in the Superstock and Supersport Races. That’s probably out of reach in the Superbike class but, as a team, we’re improving all the time so if we can better last year’s performances, we’ll be happy.”
Kevin Watret, KTS Racing by Steadplan Team Owner: “After two successful and highly enjoyable years, we’re obviously really looking forward to getting back to the TT with Jamie, especially as we have the continuity of running the same Honda Fireblade again in the 1000cc races. The races last year went well with our first 132mph laps, so we’ll be looking to build on that and make further steps forward.”
“The switch to the Triumph for the Supersport class has so far been very positive as the bike suits Jamie’s style more and we’re hoping to improve in each class again as we have done these last two years. The results since 2022 have been extremely satisfying but we want to do better again and that’s the clear aim.”
